The potential dangers of Microsoft's secret patches

Microsoft's security patches sometimes fix more problems than their descriptions let on. This is not a new problem, nor is it unique to Redmond. As much as anything else, it is a consequence of the way patches are produced: when a vendor is analyzing and fixing one flaw, they might well discover other flaws in the same piece of code, and their patch will fix the whole set.

However, research by one security company, Core Security Technologies, suggests that in so doing, Microsoft may be underplaying the significance of various patches, which may lead companies to be less aggressive in rolling out patches for critical flaws.